Ink fountain



De 10, 19 0- c. s. CRAFTS .INK FOUNTAIN Original Fild Dec. 21, 1938 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 10, 1940. c, A -rs 2,224,218

INK FOUNTAIN Original Filed Dec. 21, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec.10, 1940 INK FOUNTAIN Curtis S. Crafts, Oak Park, Ill., assignor to TheGoss Printing Press Company," Chicago, Ill., a

corporation of Illinois Original application December 21, 1938, SerialNo.

October 11, 1939 8 Claims.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in rotary printingpresses, and more especially to such improvements in ink fountainsealing devices for rotogravure presses using quick drying inks.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No.246,947, filedDecember 21, 1938. j

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in parthereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom. or may be learned byprac tice with the invention, the same being realized and attained bymeansof the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in theappended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements,combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a parthereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together withthe description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary end elevation of a rotary intaglio printingcouple and showing an embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary transverse section on line 2-2of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse section taken on line 33 of Fig. l;-i

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail planof the hand-operated fastening devicefor the sealing plate shown at the left in Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detailed plan of parts cooperating with thefastening device of Fig. 4.

Objects of the invention are to provide novel and useful closure orsealing devices as part of closed or sealed ink fountains, and toprovide such devices well and specially adapted to close or seal the toppart of the fountain closure at either end of the design cylinder andoverlapping the-top curved portion of thecylinder, and about and incooperation with the vibrating doctor blade; to provide such closure orsealing devices of strong and simple construction, which are quickly andeasily placed and fastened in closing position and removed or releasedtherefrom, and are provided with simple, adequate and easily operatedfastening means; to provide such devices which when unfastened willautomatically move aside, and of themselves remain out of theway, topermit free and unobstructed removal and reinsertion of a designcylinder; to provide maximum practical sealing about the vibratingdocwalls Divided and this application February 23, 1940, Serial No.320,317;

In Great Britain torblade, and to obviate friction between thevibrating-doctor and the closure or sealingdevices, and also to avoidany displacement or disturbance of the doctor blade, or of its movementsuch as transverse 'flexure.

With these objects in view, together with other objects which are laterherein set forth, or will be learned from practicewith the invention,closure or sealing plates are provided of relatively stiff, resilientmetal, which are flexed ove' curved supports mounted on the fountainside walls at either end of the design cylinder, the resilient platesbeing fastened in this curved or flexed position overlapping the ends ofthe top part of the cylinder, and cooperating with other parts of thefountain to constitute a substarv tially sealed fountain. When one endof the plates is released, they willspring upwardly away from thecylinder and fountain walls, and remain there, thus providingunobstructed space for removal and reinsertion "of the design cylinderwithout danger of marring the design bearing surface; and the fasteningand unfastening of these ends of the'plates is effected by one simplemovement. The curved supports for the sealing plates at one end abut onthe backing blade for the doctor blade and hold the backing blade out offrictional engagement with the doctor blade in the spaces at the ends ofthe cylinder, and also prevent lateral displacement or fiexure of the goshown applied to a rotogravure press having inking meansadapted to usequick-drying ink and equipped with a closed or sealed fountain. Asembodied, a design cylinder l and impression cylinder 2 constitute ausual rotogravure printing couple. The design cylinder is very largelyenclosed within a fountain structure having-side 3 and 4,. about andspaced apart from the design cylinder, having end walls 5 and 6 spacedapart from the ends of the cylinder I and a bo tom I. The ink supplyingmeans is not shown and may be of any suitable form. This structure isshown fragmentarily in Fig. 1 with the central part omitted. Near thetop edge of the side 'wall 4 is mounted a doctor blade mechanism H,which carries the flexible doctor blade l2, the blade 12 being flexed inthe 55 usual manner by a clamping bar I3. The doctor blade islongitudinally reciprocable on its supporting mechanism in a usualmanner and the support is constructed so as to join the wall 4 to formpart of the closure about the design cylinder I. Cooperating with thedoctor blade I2 is a stationary backing plate 18, which rests againstand supports the back face of the doctor blade in a known manner, thedoctor blade reciprocating on the backing blade. The fountain side wall3 has its top edge brought into close contact'with the design cylinderon the side beyond the impression locus, and forms a substantial closureabove the ink supplying meanslocated within the fountain. It isdesirable also to provide closure or sealing means for the top of thefountain at either end of the design cylinder and such closure orsealing means are provided by the present invention.

As illustratively embodied, resilient closure plates at either end ofthe cylinder fill the space between the fountain end walls and thecylinder and overlap and fit closely the upper part of the cylinderends. In this preferred form, a support for the closure plates isprovided at either end of the design cylinder I, these supports 'l3having parti-cylindrical supporting.

members 20, and these parts 20 have their upper surfaces of the samecurvature and in alinement with the top part of the cylinder, and areadapted to support the flex sealing plates on the same radius curve asthe design cylinder I. These cylindrical supporting members are integralwith flat arcuate side members 2!, the flat outer sides of which abut onthe inside of the respective end walls 5 and 6 of the fountain and arefastened thereto by screw bolts 22.\ These plate supports 20, 2| extendapproximately from .the doctor blade to the-opposite side wall 3 of thefountain. The closure or sealing plates 25 are of strongly resilientmetal, such as steel. and preferably are sufllciently wide to extendfrom the fountain side wall to overlap the adjacent end of the designcylinder to a desired amount, and are of a length suflicient to extendfrom near the doctor blade to the top edge of the side wall 3 of thefountain. At their ends toward the doctor blade, the closure plates 25are fastened tothe support 20 by suitable means such as clamping blocks25 and screws 21 passing through the clamping block and the plate 25 andscrew threaded into the supportingmember 20.

At their opposite ends, that is, the ends adjacent the wall 3, theplates 25 are fastened to their supports 20 .by. devices which arequickly and easily operated to either fasten or release the plates. Aser'nbodiediFigs. l and 4), openings 29 are formed in plate 25, and theseopenings are adapted to pass over detent pins 30 which are fastened intoand project upwardly from the supports 20. The pins have an undercutside notch 3|,

and cooperating therewith is a T- shaped slide 33,.slidably mounted ontop of the plate 25 by pin and slot connections The slide 33 has twoarms or locking edges 35 and 36,

adapted to pass into and out of engagement with,

the undercut notches 3|, and the slide is preferably provided with amanual pull 31. Thus the plate 25 which is fastened at 2'! may be bentover and about its support 20 until the apertures 29 pass over the pins30 while the detent plate 33 is being drawn back to the position shownin Fig.

4, and thereafter the detent plate 331s pushed forwardly-until thelocking edges 35 and 38 en- 25., gage in the notches 3|, as--shown inFig. 1, and

the plates 25 are held in curved closing or sealing position on thesupports 20iwith their inner por tions conforming to and bearing on thesurface tion they are automatically out of the way, and

the design cylinder may be removed from the fountain and the same oranother cylinder inserted without danger of injuring the design surfaceby contact with the closure plates.

Means are provided for avoiding friction and wear between thereciprocating doctor blade ii ;v and the backing plate It, and forpreventingzlateral displacement or bending of the doctor blade fromitspath near the ends of its stroke. As here embodied, the backing blade I5is made wider and extends inwardly, at either end of the designcylinder, however, leaving suitable clearance for design cylinders ofdifferent lengths (Fig. 3). These widened end portions of the backingblade I6 contribute to the sealing action, and to prevent springingthereof, these ends are engaged on the outer side thereof by the ends llof the supports '20, which ends are beveled to fit closely against thesurface of the blade IS. The supports are angularly movable to varyandregulate the pressure on the backing blade I6, and for this purpose-thebolts 22 pass through elongated slots 42 in the flat arcuate flanges 2|,thereby permitting angular movement of the supports and nice regulationof the pressure or flexing action on the backing blade l6, andpositioning these parts of the blade I6 relatively to the reciprocatingdoctor blade l2, so as to prevent undue friction between them, and alsoso as to prevent flexure or displacement of the doctor blade by thebacking blade IS. The ends of the plates 25 abut closely on thebroadened ends of the blade I 6 and make a tight closure at either endof the path of the vibrating doctor blade.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specificmechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefromwithout departing from the principles of the invention and withoutsacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:

1. In a rotary printing press, in combination a printing couple havingan impression cylinder and a design cylinder, an ink fountain, areciprocating doctor blade cooperating with the design cylinder, abacking blade engaging and supporting the doctor blade, and meanslocated at either end of the design cylinder and engaging the backingblade and pressing it back to prevent unduefriction or displacement ofthe reciproeating doctor blade.

2. In a rotary intaglio'press having a design cylinder and inking means,a resilient flexed recylinder and, inking means, a doctor blade, a

reciprocable carriage for the doctor blade, a member mounted on thecarriage and engaging and flexing the doctor blade toward the designcylinder, a stationary backing blade engaging the doctor blade on theopposite side from said flexin'g member, and devices engaging saidbacking blade at either side of the design cylinder to hold it out ofthe path of reciprocation of the doctor blade.

4. In a rotary intaglio press having a design cylinder and inking means,a doctor blade, 2.

reciprocable carriage for the doctor blade, a member mounted on thecarriage and engaging and flexing the doctor blade toward the designcylinder, a stationary resilient backing blade engaging the doctor bladeon the opposite side from said flexing member, and devices engaging saidbacking blade at either side of the design cylinder to flex and hold it'out of the path of reciprocation of the doctor blade'.-

5. In an intaglio rotary printing press in com bination a printingcouple having an impression cylinder and a design cylinder, an inkfountain having, walls about the design cylinder, a reciprocable doctorblade cooperating with the design cylinder, a backing blade engaging therear face of the doctor blade and extending beyond it at,

either side, closure means at either end of thede- {sign cylinderincluding supports carried on the fountain structure and plates carriedon said supports and filling the space between the cylinder ends and thefountain end walls, said supports abutting on the backing bladeat eitherend of the doctor blade.

6. In an intaglio rotary printing press in com bination a printingcouple having an impression cylinder and a design cylinder, an inkfountain having walls about the design cylinder, a recipthe doctorblade.

rocable doctor-blade cooperating with the design cylinder, a backingblade engaging the rear face of the doctor blade and extending beyond itat either side, closure means at either end of the design cylinderincluding supportscarried on the fountain structure and plates carriedon said supports and filling the space between the cylinder ends and thefountain end walls, said supports abutting on the backing blade ateither end of the doctor blade, and means for variably positioning saidsupports to vary the position of the ends of the backing bladerelatively to the doctor blade.

7. Inan intaglio rotary printing press in combination a design cylinder,a flexed reciprocable doctor blade cooperating with the cylinder, a sta;tionary backing blade pressing against the back of the doctor blade andextending'beyond the ends of the doctor blade, and means engaging theends of the backing blade at either end of the doctor blade to preventundue friction or distionary backing blade pressingagainst the back ofthe doctor blade and extending beyond the ends of theldoctor blade, andmeans engaging and variably positionable relatively to the ends ofth'ebacking blade at either end of the doctor blade to prevent unduefriction between the doctor blade and backing blade or displacement ofCURTIS'S. CRAFTS.

